Embrace Your Weird

1. Embrace Your Unique Weirdness as a Superpower

In short, “I made X because of you!” became the most gratifying thing I’d ever heard.

Your weirdness is unique. Everyone possesses a baked-in superpower: their unique weirdness. This individuality is what makes your perspective invaluable and your creations distinct. Life might seem easier conforming, but it's a disservice to yourself and the world to silence your authentic voice.

Creativity is self-care. Expressing your weirdness through creation is a vital form of self-care, essential for becoming your happiest and best self. Your voice is unique, and the world deserves to hear it. By not creating, you're robbing the world of your singular point of view.

You're already creative. Creativity isn't just about grand artistic masterpieces; it's in how you navigate daily life. From choosing an outfit to deciding taco toppings, every small impression of "ME!" you exert is an act of unconscious creativity. Acknowledge these daily acts to build confidence in your ability to create anything.

2. Cultivate a Playful, No-Judgment Approach to Creation

It’s our human right to be crappy at something and still enjoy it!

Playfulness is creation's root. The myth that creativity requires suffering or inherent talent is poppycock. Playfulness is the foundation of all creation, invention, and discovery. There's no reason not to feel joy when making things, even when encountering problems. Ask yourself, "How can I solve this in a way that's fun for me?"

Embrace imperfection. Work fast and think less, treating your initial efforts as "vomit drafts." This is a no-judgment zone where it's okay to suck; in fact, it's encouraged. Deliberately do terrible work to uncork your creative voice and beat back the fear of not being "good enough."

Damage the book. Break rules and consider nothing sacred, including this book. Doodle, cross out sentences, write retorts, or even tear out pages. This act of "bad behavior" helps free your pen and mind from the internal critic, reminding you that you have permission to be reckless and subversive in your creative process.

3. Uncover Your Authentic Hero-Self Through Deep Self-Knowledge

Self-knowledge is our primary creative superpower!

Know your true self. Beyond labels others give you, take time to gaze inward and define your creative Hero-Self. This self-excavation helps fill your inner hollow with an awareness that feels true, leading to confidence in what you have to say to the world.

Explore your past. Rewind to childhood, a time when creativity was as simple as breathing, free of self-consciousness.

• Browse old photos and recall adjectives describing past selves.
• Locate childhood homes on maps to trigger memories.
• Revisit fictional characters you admired and the aspects of their lives you coveted.
• List activities you loved as a kid, like baking or drawing, to rediscover old passions.

Understand your "Now" self. Treat yourself as a research project, objectively analyzing your current likes, dislikes, and how others perceive you.

• Identify favorite senses, virtues, and vices.
• Create a soundtrack to your life.
• Film yourself and describe the character you see, noting what you love and want to change.
• Ask friends for one-sentence descriptions of you.

4. Confront Powerlessness by Taking Small, Actionable Steps

The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.

Powerlessness silences creativity. Believing you lack the power to change your life, or constantly waiting for permission, traps you in a cycle of creative silence. This mindset, often stemming from accommodating others' needs, negatively impacts your ability to express yourself.

Exercise agency in small ways. Build trust with yourself by tackling small, procrastinated tasks.

• List everything you feel powerless over, from big career goals to replacing a light bulb.
• Circle and immediately act on one small item to feel powerful.
• Perform a "sniff test" in your home, purging objects that weigh you down or evoke guilt.
• Clean out your closet, keeping only clothes that make you feel confident.

Assert control over your world. Extend this newfound agency to interactions with others.

• Practice saying, "I'll have to get back to you" when asked to do something, giving yourself time to decide what protects you.
• Rearrange a room in your house to feel more engaged and excited by your surroundings.
• Pick a huge global issue you feel powerless over and brainstorm ten actionable ways you could impact it.

5. Master Anxiety with Diverse, Personalized Techniques

Anxiety is wholly separate from who I am!

Anxiety is creativity's enemy. Your vivid imagination, while essential for creativity, can also fuel anxiety by envisioning all possible negative outcomes. It's crucial to firmly believe that anxiety is separate from your true self, not an inherent part of your identity.

Six techniques to combat anxiety:

• Fool: Flip anxiety into excitement by consciously visualizing positive outcomes and affirming success out loud.
• Dump: Journal every possible solution to a problem, no matter how ridiculous, to drain anxiety's power.
• Protect: Self-advocate by taking quick time-outs in stressful situations to collect your thoughts and reassure your inner creator.
• Baby: Visualize creating for someone who loves everything you do unconditionally, like a child or pet, to remove judgment.
• Robot: Repeat your exact worries over and over until the words lose all meaning, boring your anxiety to death.
• Chicken: Dare your body to make you even more anxious, amplifying symptoms to assert control and counteract the "flight" response.

Find what works for you. Not all techniques will resonate, but one will. Make beating anxiety a primary life quest, seeking professional help or medication if needed. The goal is to free your authentic Hero-Self to create without inhibition.

6. Overcome Procrastination and Perfectionism by Embracing Imperfection and Process

Creative work means signing up for the process, not the result.

Procrastination is not laziness. It's often a result of feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. Avoidance makes tasks heavier, morphing simple "hydrogen" tasks into "uranium" ones. Overcome this by breaking down goals into actionable, controllable steps.

Perfectionism is a lie. Nothing is truly perfect, and nature itself thrives on imperfection. This mindset, which demands flawless first attempts, is a heavy armor that stifles joy and growth.

• Embrace your flaws; they make you unique and memorable.
• Challenge perfectionism by deliberately doing "worse" work or brainstorming twenty alternate solutions to a problem.
• Create a daily "Trash" file to dump stream-of-consciousness thoughts before starting bigger projects, cleansing your mind.

Focus on the process. Sign up for the "grind" of creativity, not just the end result. If you commit to the work, failure or success becomes secondary, as the reward is in the doing. This mindset allows for continuous improvement and growth, transforming creative blocks into opportunities.

7. Banish Shame, Regret, and Jealousy with Forgiveness and Gratitude

Everything that has happened in our lives is so that we can get to the place we are now.

Shame reopens wounds. Shame keeps past missteps fresh, creating trauma that blocks progress. To disarm it, learn from the incident, offer yourself forgiveness, and physically release the shame (e.g., by writing it down and burning the page).

Regret is a deceptive salesman. It thrives on "what if" scenarios, making you believe alternate past choices would have led to a "better" present.

• Acknowledge that "different is not better" and that your current cherished life might not exist without your exact path.
• Challenge regret by listing five ways a past change could have made you more unhappy.

Jealousy is a lazy liar. It stems from insecurity and a false belief in scarcity, envying others' rewards without acknowledging their effort.

• Recognize that everyone's path to success is unique and tied to their individual weirdness.
• Counter jealousy by focusing on your own creative work and celebrating others' victories through forgiveness, gratitude, generosity, and acceptance.

8. Shield Your Creativity from External Foes and Negative Self-Talk

Until we confront them, we can never be free of them.

External forces attack. Your creative "garden" is vulnerable to real-life foes like stereotypes, criticism, and human enemies. While creating in isolation is an option, most creators desire to share their work, making defense crucial.

Defy stereotypes. Society's "helpful" shorthands can steer you away from your authentic self.

• Identify stereotypes applied to you (e.g., gender, appearance).
• Use these areas to fuel your creativity, turning "That's weird!" into "That's cool!"
• Create work that actively defies these assumptions, finding enormous power in rebellion.

Reframe criticism. Criticism is an inevitable part of creation, a "gift" that means someone engaged with your work.

• Practice kindness towards others' creativity to foster a kinder inner critic.
• View criticism as feedback for improvement, not a personal attack.
• Focus on your Hero-Self's satisfaction with the process, not external praise.

Banish human enemies and self-hatred. Destructive people, even those close to you, can plant seeds of doubt.

• Confront memories of past discouragement, banishing those "ghosts" with a symbolic ritual.
• Compartmentalize negative people, closing the door to their influence on your creative space.
• Recognize that your most formidable enemy is often yourself, through negative self-talk. Draw your child-self and surround it with your negative thoughts to visualize the harm, then cage and silence those abusive voices.

9. Build a Strong Alliance of Role Models, Mentors, and Friends

There are untold numbers of people in the world who are ready to encourage, inspire, and cheer us on.

Seek role models. Identify public figures or fictional characters you admire, not just for their superficial qualities, but for deeper aspects of their accomplishments. This helps define your own creative direction and shows you that your dreams are possible.

Find mentors. Beyond role models, seek hands-on guidance.

• Enroll in classes or workshops to learn new skills and gain diverse perspectives.
• Seek out meetups, alumni associations, or apprenticeships to work alongside experienced creators.
• Question everyone around you; even seemingly unrelated expertise can offer valuable insights.
• Offer mentorship to others; teaching often reveals insights about your own process.

Cultivate a creative friend alliance. Humans are not meant to create in isolation.

• Form a "support group" with friends to share creative wins and hold each other accountable.
• Actively seek out like-minded individuals through local events, classes, or online communities.
• Don't be shy; reach out to potential allies, online or offline, to build connections.

10. Commit to Consistent Creative Habits and See Projects Through

In the end, only zero will give us nothing to build on. But SOMETHING will always add up to something.

Make room for creativity. Your life is overgrown with obligations; you must trim back and make room for your creative pursuits.

• Visualize your life as a tree, identifying essential "trunk" items and "branches" that drain your attention.
• Prune non-essential branches to create space for creative priorities.
• Commit to a small, consistent amount of time daily (e.g., five minutes) for a creative goal.

Commit and finish. Avoid the "creative magpie" tendency to flit between new, shiny ideas.

• Focus on one creative goal at a time and see it through to completion.
• Write a contract with yourself, pledging to finish your chosen project.
• Rely on your allies (role models, mentors, friends) to provide encouragement and accountability.

Build creative habits. Integrate creativity into your daily routine, making it as unconscious as brushing your teeth.

• Tie creative practices to existing habits (e.g., keep a dream journal, freestyle rap to your fish).
• This primes you to be ready for bigger creative goals, enriching the soil for future growth.

11. Continuously Explore and Expand Your Inner World

Your curiosity is an arrow that will lead you to discover new parts of yourself.

Infinite self-discovery. Just as the Earth once held uncharted territories, your inner world is endlessly fascinating and mysterious. You will never know all you can be, so commit to constant exploration.

Expose yourself to new things. Actively seek out novel experiences and knowledge.

• Take vacations, even local ones, to step out of your comfort zone.
• Follow "rabbit holes" of interest online, letting curiosity guide your learning.
• Read books or engage with subjects you find unappealing to broaden your mind.
• Diversify your social media feed with accounts outside your usual interests.

Push comfort zones. Growth is spurred by joy, grief, discomfort, and mistakes. Be willing to get uncomfortable to become more complicated and innovative. Embrace the unexpected, like trying trapeze school, to spark new creative directions.

Collect your brilliance. Form a habit of regularly collecting your weird and wonderful thoughts. If you don't capture them, they scatter. Acknowledge your own brilliance; it's not about being better than others, but about recognizing your inherent worth.

Last updated: January 1, 2026